Saw You Once On The Street
by BeholdMySparkles97
Summary: He looked across the hall at Rachel. Looked her shining brown hair and dark sparkling eyes as she laughed and talked. She was beautiful, and smart, and kind, and Finn Hudson knew he'd do anything to make her his. Even if Kurt would kill him for even thinking about stealing her number from his phone.
1. with walls as cold as a gallary

**Hi, Abby here!... Okay, so none of you know me. This is officially my first fanfic! Yay! If my form of writing seems too childish or unsatisfying to you in any way, just know that I can always benefit from constructive critism... but I don't acknowledge needlessly mean comments. I don't put up with that kinda shit. P.S. This is not my idea, it's a tumblr prompt, ENJOY! Okay, so heeeerrree we go...**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Glee... just so we're clear...**

* * *

Finn was beat.

He knew he shouldn't have listened to Puck when he told him it'd be a good idea to ditch school and go to the batting cages instead. Puck said they wouldn't get in a lot of trouble since they were school studs and would totally be working on their "_athletic prowess_" (Puck's words not his), so even Coach Beiste couldn't complain.

That made sense enough for Finn, so he went along like the idiot he was, listening to Puck like some brainless moron.

And, yeah, they totally got busted hard-core since Puck thought it'd be a such a great idea to bribe some dude to buy them beer who actually ended up being Dr. Conners, a really cool doctor who worked along side his mom, who's eyes narrowed in anger and disappointment as soon as he recognized Finn.

And Finn instantly panicked, not caring that Puck would probably call him "gay" or "pussy" or some other bullshit later for almost crying and begging the dude not to call his mom. But, eventually, the doc decided to take them back to school and hand them over to Coach Beiste, which was way better than Principle Figgins and _loads _better than Finn's mom, but not after making Finn promise to never do something stupid like that again or else next time he _would_ call his mom. Finn gulped and promised.

Coach Beiste was pissed, and threatened to report them Figgins anyway, but in the end, decided to show them some mercy with a few extra workouts after practice.

A few extra workouts that turned out to be thirty more laps and, like, fifty more football drills that made Finn feel like he was about to throw up, or pass out, or both.

Okay, so maybe Beiste was punishing them even worse than Figgins would've but, hey, at least Finn wouldn't have deal with the sad, disappointed looks from his mom if she had found out... and that was a price he was willing to pay.

Finn trudged through the front door, his shoulder sagging and his legs crying out in pain, and heard Kurt laughing loudly up the stairs. Ugh... great, just what Finn needed, Kurt _and_ Mercedes to see him in this pitiful and almost delirious state.

Finn rummaged through the freezer bringing out a bag of frozen peas and putting it on his massively sore shoulder and groaned in relief. Maybe, if started moving now, he'd be upstairs in time before his mom or Burt saw him and started questioning him over his obviously exhausted form.

" _Oh, Finn_!" a voice squeaked behind him who Finn immediately realized was not Kurt or Mercedes. He spun around too quickly and groaned at the shooting pain going through his legs and shoulders, but noticing the the flash of wide chocolate eyes and long soft brown hair before doubling over in agony.

God, he was _never _listening to Puck again!

"Finn, Oh god, let me help you!" A flash of dark brown zipped from across the kitchen to help him and Finn looked up to lock eyes with none other than Rachel Berry.

"Oh, hey Rachel." He choked out, trying not to mumble or grimace or act like even more of an idiot than he already had in front her. Besides, as happy as he was to see her, and he was always happy to be on the other end of one her bright enthusiastic smiles or sexy but kind of terrifying stares, he didn't know how she got into his house.

"Finn, are you alright? Can you stand up straight? Oh my god, I'm so terribly sorry, I hope I didn't rupture any vital organs by scaring you. Don't worry though, I've received an excessive amount of CPR and first aid training." Rachel put her hands on his stomach and shoulders while Finn tried not to think about how good her tiny hands felt, and instead tried to focus on his aching muscles.

Finn cleared his throat as Rachel helped him stand a little straighter, "It's cool, Rach... So... um.. what are you doing here? I mean, not that it's not great to see you because it totally is, but I just don't know how you got in here, not that I'm insenousing anything... but I'm mean... I'm sorry, that came ou-"

"Finn," Rachel cut in, looking like she was holding in laughter. _Great, now she's laughing at you, way to go, idiot, _"It's alright, I'm hardly offended by your _insinuation_, and I have to admit it's rather astounding to be here myself. But, as it would seem, Kurt and I have quite a lot of things in common and once we got over our initial impression of competition that we so thoroughly represented in glee club, we now feel free to allow ourselves to be supportive team mates, as well as close confidants."

She was giving him one of those big Rachel Berry smiles again, and Finn had to try to stop the small rush of disappointment going through him. Some part of him, (Okay, most of him) had hoped that Rachel had come over here for him, not Kurt.

He recovered as fast as he could, smiling back at Rachel's beaming face. "Oh, cool. That's really awesome that you two are friends now, I mean, you're really cool to hang out with, so... Kurt is extra lucky to be friends with you." He immediately looked down, blushing.

"Well... thank you, Finn. That's very sweet of you." Rachel said, her voice soft and shy. When Finn finally got up the courage to look up, he noticed Rachel was looking down at her feet too, and if wasn't mistaken, he was pretty sure her face was pink.

"Um... you're welcome..." Finn stuttered.

This was a disaster. Here he was, looking like some kind of retarded zombie, at best, and she was here looking so fucking hot in these tiny pair of shorts with her hair in a long cool looking braid and a tank top with some frog on it that said something lame like, _Hop to it_ but she made it look insanely good.

"So," Rachel continued, seeming determined to keep the conversation going, "Would it be too intrusive of me to ask why you seem to be in extensive and excruciating pain at the moment?"

Finn winced but decided to say it anyway. "Well, I... um... kinda sorta skipped school with Puck and Coach Beiste made sure to make us pay for it." He chuckled awkwardly.

Rachel raised an eyebrow, "Oh, well I would hope so. Willingly avoiding your generously constructed academic privileges just for fun isn't a very noble cause, especially since so many children in this world yearn to be educated, yet lack the resources. Don't you agree?"

Finn backtracked. "No! I mean, yes... I mean, it was really all Puck's idea, not that it's not my fault too. It's just, he said we wouldn't get in much trouble, and I'm kinda just the stupid friend that goes along with everything he says. So, I guess shame on me anyway, huh?"

Rachel seemed quiet for a moment, grasping the fallen peas on the floor to hold them back up to Finn's shoulder, looking back up at him. "You're not stupid, Finn." She smiled, her eyes suddenly soft under her long eyelashes. "Just impressionable."

"Uh, thanks?"

She laughed. And, okay, Finn didn't know what that word meant or if it was good or bad, but he'd do anything to hear that laugh over and over again. And, man, Finn really wished he was a lot smoother around girls like Puck, because he was pretty sure he was looking like a Grade-A moron right about now.

The two instantly broke apart at the sound of footsteps coming down the stairs. The next thing he knew, Kurt was barreling into the kitchen wearing that green mask that covered his face like space slime or something. The first time he saw Kurt walking around the house wearing that gunk, he immediately saw a perfect opportunity for payback from Kurt's raging war against his puffy vests. He figured it would completely avenge his long lost vests while embarrass the crap out of Kurt, but he seemed to be one step ahead of him, like always, and threatened to expose his internet history to his mom, and, yeah, there is no way that's happening.

"Rachel, there you are, I've been waiting for those cucumber slices for ten minutes an- why are you talking to my brother?" Kurt eyed the two blushing teens as he stepped further in the kitchen and got a better look at Finn. "Oh my God, Finn, you look like hell. What happened to you?"

"Uh-"

"You know what, I'd rather not know. But, what _I'd prefer_ to know is why are you taking up poor Rachel's time when we have a makeover to finish up and a musical to watch, so shoo." Kurt made a swatting hand gesture, like he was trying to get rid of Finn with the flick of his wrist. Finn huffed.

"Kurt!" Rachel whispered loudly. "That's so terribly rude. Finn is fine company and I was the one that intruded while he was in the kitchen." She looked angry, like she really cared if Kurt treated him bad or not. It made him smile a little bit, to know how much she minded.

Kurt sighed. "Alright, I'm sorry. Now if you don't mind Finn, Rachel and I have a schedule to keep so if you'd please hurry up so Rachel can finish getting the cucumber slices and I can start the popcorn."

Finn looked back at Rachel, seeing that she was already looking back at him too, before dropping her gaze immediately and starting to search the fridge for the cucumbers.

"Okay, well, see ya later Rachel." Finn waved at her back before trudging out of the room. He looked back over his shoulder one last time to catch a glimpse of Rachel, his eyes accidentally landing on her ass that, okay was all kinds of awesome and perfectly round, only to look up at her face to notice her intense dark brown eyes were staring right at him, totally catching him checking her out, she turned around straight away but he was almost completely sure that she had a tiny smile on her face and that bright blush on her cheeks.

* * *

**I know it's short, but more soon to come!**


	2. this is no place for me

**Disclaimer: I do not own Glee :D**

* * *

Finn remembers the first time he ever really noticed Rachel Berry. She had just transferred from some other elementary school and was cast lead in their first grade musical. He remembers the way she bounded across the small stage as Cinderella, pretending to be surrounded by singing birds and mice that were really just some very unwilling students that would've rather been anywhere else at that moment. Not that it mattered, Rachel stole all attention on stage the minute she she started to sing. Her voice, so beautiful and powerful, it touched something in Finn that day. Something he knew he'd never forget, even at age six.

She had enchanted him from that moment on. Even when Finn had finally just given in to the school's peer pressure sophomore year and had started dating Quinn Fabray, the captain of the Cheerios, because that was apparently what was to be expected of him as the quarterback of the football team, Rachel Berry had never been that far from his thoughts though. He'd still notice her in the cafeteria eating her cucumber salad and carrot sticks or in the auditorium, during those pointless school assemblies when they got shortened class periods, so it's not like he could really complain, where he'd get to hear her sing and shine just as bright as she did as Cinderella.

When Kurt had joined glee club and had immediately disliked Rachel, Finn would just grit his teeth whenever Kurt would rant about how annoying or overwhelming she was, because all he could think was that Rachel was awesome and Kurt just needed to get over himself.

And when Quinn had cheated on him with Sam Evans and he had found out after basically the entire school knew, Rachel was the only one that didn't look at him with pity or amusement and instead looked at him like he was still just Finn, not the poor stupid quarterback that should've known better, when he walked down the halls of Mckinley.

So, yeah, she did kinda grow on him over the years.

"Yo, Finessa! Where'd you go last night? I texted your ass like twenty times." Puck came up beside him while Finn was going through his locker, snapping him out of his thoughts.

"What are you talking about? I didn't get any texts" Finn lied. He'd ignored Puck's texts last night, instead deciding to play some Call of Duty and take a nap. He was exhausted, sue him.

"Man, you still being a pussy about yesterday? So we got caught. No big deal. This time, we play it better and you won't act like such a chick."

Finn turned toward him, annoyed. "No we're not. I'm not gonna listen to your stupid plans ever again, man. My legs are still killing me and, to be honest, I still really want to punch you in the face." He slammed his locker shut, forgetting about his text book and started down the hall. He knew Puck was following him, but he didn't care.

"Wow, someone's period came early this month. But, seriously, I have a presentation due in speech, so we need to be gone by one, 'kay? Cool." He patted Finn on the back and tried to walk past him, but Finn caught him by his shirt and yanked him back.

"Dude, I'm serious. I'm not doing that again." Finn glared in a way that he hoped would get his point across. But Puck just stared at him blankly. "If my mom would've found out, I'd be dead. There's no way in hell I'm putting her through that."

Puck smirked then pouted. "Aw, Finny Booboo wuvs his mommy so much. So sweet"

"Dude." Finn warned.

"Okay, okay. I get it. Besides, if I skip again, _my_ mom said she'd take away my Xbox, so maybe this is for the best." He shrugged his shoulders and Finn was glad that he didn't have threaten to kick his ass if he didn't let it go, because, man, he didn't think he had that kinda energy right now.

Finn sighed and continued walking."Besides, I mean, it's pretty shitty of us to want to skip class so much and there are kids in other places who wanna learn so much, but, you know, can't." Finn said, thinking back to his conversation with Rachel yesterday and smiling at the memory of her flustered face at the thought of cutting school.

Puck just stared at him. "Um... I guess. What are you talking about."

Finn rubbed the back of his neck. "Nothing, man. Forget it."

Just then, Rachel Berry came strolling down the hall towards him. She was wearing some pretty dress that stopped just above her knees and was covered in purple daises. Her hair was curled around her shoulders and Finn had to remind himself to breathe when he caught sight of her. When he caught her eye, she smiled widely at him before being dragged in a classroom by some gothic chick with blue hair streaks and lot of eye-makeup.

"Dude, earth to Finn." Puck waved his hand in front his face and he realized that that he was looking after Rachel like some kinda love sick idiot.

And, well, he's not. Really.

"Sorry, man. I thought I saw something. Never mind." Finn tried to walk by him, but this time Puck yanked him back.

"Yeah right," Puck taunted, smiling like he knew something Finn didn't. "Isn't that the chick that you've had a boner for since, like, forever? Because I'm pretty sure that's not the first time you've stared after her like a complete retard, more like, the fiftieth."

Finn rolled his eyes, trying to be casual about the conversation. "Whatever, man. I'm going to Algebra." He still didn't have his text book, but he just really wanted Puck to butt the hell out.

"Listen, Finn. You either have to own up to this or not, because, honestly, this is getting old. I mean, first, you try turning down _Quinn Fabray _for that chick, and don't try to deny it because, man you suck at lying," Puck added when Finn tried to open his mouth. "And secondly, if you don't move in on that ass soon, someone else will."

He gaped at Puck, his mouth opening and closing as Puck walked away backwards, shrugging and bringing his hands up defensively. "Just sayin, man, just sayin."

The bell rang, Finn cursed and tried to walk to class as fast as he could.

* * *

Later that day, Finn had to admit to himself that Puck was right. He'd been ignoring his crush on Rachel forever and if he never does anything about it, he might really lose his chance. He'd just been so freaked out by the thought of rejection that he never really wanted to try. He'd always figured he could just admire her from afar and everything would be okay because the thought of some other guy moving in on her never even crossed his mind. Not that it's totally not a possibility. Rachel's beautiful and unlike every girl he's ever known, in a totally good way, and it should only make sense for someone else to notice that.

But, could he just go up to her and ask her out? No way._ He_ may have liked her for as long as he can remember but she might be on a totally different page, despite the way she acted in the kitchen yesterday. Maybe she was just being nice and and was embarrassed by the situation, and maybe when she caught him ogling her ass she just took it as a compliment.

He heard a familiar laugh and his head snapped up at the sound. Finn barely noticed his step-brother walking along beside Rachel as they made their way to Kurt's locker.

He looked across the hall at Rachel. Looked her shining brown hair and dark sparkling eyes as she laughed and talked. She was beautiful, and smart, and kind, and he knew he'd do anything to make her his. Even if Kurt would kill him for even thinking about stealing her number from his phone. He may not be so smooth or suave in person or anything, but he might be better at this whole thing some other way.

* * *

Okay, so, breaking into Kurt's phone was harder than he thought it'd be.

First off, the whole password thing... yeah, he had no effin clue what the hell it was. At first, he thought it would be Blaine, Kurt's boyfriend that he couldn't talk about enough, but the stupid name had too many letters.

He tried some other shit, like Prada or some other designer stuff, but none of it worked. He tried some of those Broadway star's names, but he wasn't sure if he spelled them all right. He tried Kurt's birthday, Burt's birthday, even his mom's.

No go.

He was officially about to give up, deciding to find some other way, but not quite knowing what that was yet, until he knocked over some notebooks when he tried to plug Kurt's phone back to it's sparkly phone charger. He quickly picked them up, hoping no one would hear all the noise and look into Kurt's all white room.

And then, like a gift from God or something, as he tossed the notebooks back on the desk something caught his eye before he bolted from the room.

Kurt's contact book.

* * *

Finn stared at his phone, trying to make the super cool, but totally not stalker-ish, words appear. He was having a little trouble going for the super cool part.

So far, he'd had deleted a few strange texts.

**You looked really pretty today. **

**Your hair always looks so shiny and soft-looking.**

**You smell like strawberries. I really like strawberries.**

Yeah, those didn't make him sound like a weirdo at all. Or worse, Jacob Ben Israel.

He needed something that would make him sound like he liked her and also be someone that she would _want_ to talk to. Someone interesting and understanding and who will say all the right things at the right times. Someone that wouldn't get cheated on by his girlfriend with some blonde douche he never said two words to.

Someone that wasn't a loser like him.

He suddenly knew exactly what he wanted to say. It was kinda intimate, but not too weird, hopefully something that would catch her attention but not turn her off. He looked over the text, nodded, and pressed "send".

Now he waits.

* * *

Rachel had hoped that when Kurt mentioned getting together for another relaxing and musical afternoon, he meant it would've been at his house.

Her dads utterly adore him, which is absolutely wonderful and Kurt points out that they apparently have more space in her bathroom and more closet space too, according to Kurt's barely contained grumbles, not to mention her dad's vast entertainment center in their rec room which made Kurt babble in excitement about how great all her musicals would look, especially on Bluray.

With that, Rachel had a feeling that they might be spending more time at her house than she originally had thought.

She tried not to be so disappointed by that fact. She loved spending time with Kurt, he was as obsessed with the Broadway scene as she was and they both had such equal ambitions, dreams, and attitude. He was basically her soul mate.

Yet, she couldn't help but hope that spending time at Kurt's place would mean she would get to see his slightly dopey, but incredibly cute step-brother more often. The way he fumbled through his actions and retracted his blushing words, it made him seem so endearing and sweet and she really wanted to spend more time getting to know him and his dimples better. She'd be lying if she didn't admit to doing an internal happy dance when Kurt had first brought her to his house and seeing Finn in that kitchen made her pulse race and mouth dry. She didn't even care that he was very blatantly checking her out, she actually rather flattered by his appraising gaze.

"So Miss Berry, what should we indulge in today? Should it be organic chocolate-chip cookies with West Side Story or lactose free strawberry shortcake with Yentl?" Kurt returned from scoring through her DVD collection and her snack stash from her kitchen, he was still wearing his blackhead removal strip and she made a mental note to take hers off in approximately five minutes.

She grinned at her new best friend. "Well Mr. Hummel, how about we mix things up and have _the cookies_ with _Yentl_."

Kurt dramatically gasped. "The scandal!" The mock expression melted off his face as he considered her plan of action seriously. "I like the way you think, my formerly badly dressed but beautifully redone friend."

Rachel pretended to pout at the insult, but was much too happy to have a friend to actually joke around with sort of situation to really be upset by it. She did have to hand it to Kurt, her hair looked spectacular with the french styling gel he put in it and her nails looked professionally sculpted by his handy work.

She was just about to ask him if she should go with the pink nail polish for her toes or the peach, but she was interrupted by the buzzing of her phone. She tried to be careful with her nails as she pulled out from between the rec room's couch cushions of which it had fallen. She didn't recognize the number of the text, but decided to open it anyway. What popped up on her screen confused ad intrigued her even more so.

**You make me want to be a better me :)**

* * *

**This is a little bit longer. I hope the decided text was satisfactory, I thought a lot about it. Not to mention, this whole fanfic thing is stressful. I should let you guys know that school is starting for me tomorrow and it's probably going to be a while before I update, which is why I posted this as soon as I could.**

**Oh well, off to do actual homework. xoxoxox**


	3. such hard faces set in smoke

**Disclaimer: I do not own Glee... damn...**

* * *

Three days.

It has been seventy-two hours since she had received the anonymous text that has piqued her mind to the point of insanity and obsession.

She ignored it for the first five hours, trying to focus on Kurt and his oh-so-important beauty tips while watching Barbra Streisand sing her heart out and trying to salvage her smeared nail polished nails to their former perfection. However, the unanswered text plagued her mind for the remainder of her evening with Kurt but she tried her best not to seem too withdrawn for his sake. She found herself anxious for Kurt to leave just so she could get a better look at her phone and maybe make sure she didn't imagine the message. When she was finally alone, she stared at the text for a while, trying to decipher any hidden meanings or codes, then gave up with a very frustrated groan before going to bed and falling into a fitful sleep.

It's been three days and she still has no idea how to respond to the message, or if she should at all, because for all she knows, the person texting her could be a complete creep who's trying to get her lower her guard and lure her out to take advantage of her purity and innocence. Or maybe that insanely disturbing Jacob Ben Israel.

But, even as those paranoid, yet absolutely reasonable, thoughts raced through her mind, she couldn't help feeling that this particular message was far from that. That this message was meant to be something so much more that some lame attempt to get in her pants. It was intriguing. It was consuming.

And maybe taken in certain context, it was slightly romantic.

Still, no matter how much she wanted to, she couldn't bring herself to answer the text message. Maybe she was afraid to get some crude and disgusting text back, completely breaking this idealistic scenario being built in her head against her better judgment. But, she was also afraid that if she ended up ignoring it altogether, the person that sent it would move on and she'd never know who this person is.

She tried to no let that thought upset her.

"Hey princess, how was last night with your new friend?" Her dad entered the kitchen where she was eating her breakfast and staring at the tiled floor.

She composed herself quickly, "Oh, it was great. Kurt and I ate at this tiny pastry shop that actually had vegan friendly options! Can you believe it? In Lima, Ohio!" She grinned at the memory of her and Kurt talking and laughing in the adorable little shop that they resided in until they were the last two in the shop and the impatient-looking girl behind the counter got fed-up with them and started mumbling under her breath every time her or Kurt ordered yet _another _soy latte. Fearing that the grumbling teen might spit in their drinks if they stayed any longer, they left with muffled giggles and two thoroughly examined beverages.

"Sounds fun." Her dad patted her head affectionately. "I'm glad you have such a good friend, sweetheart. Kurt seems like a friendly boy." He walked over to the counter and poured himself a cup of coffee.

She looked at the mug in her dad's hand and wondered if the mystery texter was getting ready to eat breakfast right now. Was he even awake? Her and her father were fairly early risers. Maybe he was too, it was only seven o'clock after all. If he was, was he obsessing over her response the way she thought he might? Thinking and hoping she'd reply to him at any moment. The thought sent a thrill through her spine and she shivered.

She smiled thinly, trying to get her mind in check. "Yeah, he's great." She paused for a second, hoping to dispel these fantasies swarming in her head by distracting herself with mundane chatter. "So, where's daddy? Did he already leave for work?" She wrapped her hands around her own bedazzled mug, still warm from the coffee she poured earlier.

He dad turned away from preparing his own breakfast. "Oh, yes. He had some early meeting at the office. I'm not heading in until nine, so for now you have my undivided attention." He turned and winked at her before turning back to his frying turkey bacon.

She nodded, glancing back at her phone anxiously before heaving out a sigh.

"What's wrong, princess?" Her dad turned around, placing a full plate on the kitchen table and glancing at her curiously.

She tried to brighten her smile as he sat next to her, but she could feel the insincerity in her features. "Nothing, I feel great." Her dad eyed her dubiously. "Maybe I should just head to school early. I'll text Kurt and hopefully we can work on our new duet for glee." She hopped out of her seat and tried to escape to her car.

"Rachel." Her dad said in his firm but concerned voice. She looked at his loving expression and tried to remember a time when Hiram Berry didn't wear glasses. She couldn't. "You know you can tell me anything, angel. Me and your father, we're always here to listen."

She kept her face neutral. "I know."

"Do you?" He raised a dark eyebrow before cutting into his over easy egg.

"Yes, of course." She leaned over to smack a noisy kiss on his forehead. "I really am fine. I'm going to go call Kurt. Bye, dad." She gave him the best beaming smile she could muster and slid out the door.

Tired of feeling so indecisive and anxious about a miniscule text, she brought her cell out and typed back the response that's been tugging at the edge of her brain for past three days.

_**What would make you say that?**_

* * *

Three frickin' days.

Three fricken days and no response.

None. Zero. _Zilch_.

This was a bad idea. Such a dumb move. He should've known that. What smart girl like Rachel would respond to a complete stranger that sends them mysterious text messages?

None; that's how many.

Why did he have to be such an idiot in front of Rachel Berry in the first place? Why couldn't he just go up and talk to her like a normal person instead of acting like a complete and total stalker.

Finn closed his eyes and wished, not for the first time, that he was more like Puck when it came to getting girls.

Well, really just _one_ girl, but ya' know.

He rubbed his temples and tried to focus on getting much needed sleep. He doesn't usually wake up for another hour or so, but he was having some trouble getting his full ten hours lately.

But that totally has nothing to do with Rachel. He swears it doesn't... okay maybe it does a little.

He tossed and turned on his bed for a few more minutes before giving up and deciding he might as well just bite the bullet. He heaved himself out of bed.

He was digging through the pile of clothes on the floor, trying to figure out which ones were the clean shirts versus the dirty ones, when his phone dinged with an incoming text. He stilled, looking at the phone like it might attack him before shuffling over and opening the message. He was disappointed immediately.

**yo finnessa prty 2nite. u r comin**

Finn grumbled at the idea and wandered why Puck was up so early. He was even less of a morning person that Finn was. A party was the last thing Finn wanted to go to right now, and although a Friday night at home would mean watching The Princess Bride with his mom, and probably Kurt, anyone would be hard-pressed to convince Finn to go out tonight.

It was when he was brushing his teeth that his phone lit up on the bathroom counter. He decided to ignore it, thinking it was probably just Puck being whiny and didn't bother to check to make sure until he was sitting down for his mom's awesome home-made waffles and some bacon strips.

He was choking down his fifth flapjack when he finally decided to look at his cell. At the sight of the not-so-familiar-but-getting-more-and-more-familiar-every-time-he-stared-at-it number he froze up. Almost convinced he was hallucinating from being up so early, he double checked the number.

_**What would make you say that?**_

She answered. She finally answered.

And she was... _confused? _That surprised Finn. It never occurred to him that she would be more lost by the text than creeped out. And, crap what was he supposed to say to that? She wanted to know why he felt like this about her? Well, shit, wasn't that obvious? She's, well she's... she's _Rachel Berry_.

"Finn sweetie, I'm heading to work now." His mom got his attention as she searched for her keys in her purse. She came over to give him a kiss on the cheek and slipped out of the kitchen. "Make sure to tell Burt that the sink needs to be unclogged!" She yelled over her shoulder and was out the door. Nodding vaguely at his mom's request, he continued to eye the message, trying to figure out the best way to answer it.

It wasn't until Kurt came downstairs for breakfast and had made a snide comment about it being a miracle that Finn actually managed to save him some food with his six stomachs and Burt had followed quickly after and started working on the sink without Finn having to say anything that Finn left for school.

As he reached the school and parked his beat-up truck in his favorite parking spot, he finally sent his response.

**Well, why not?**

He jumped out of the car, hoping someone was there to keep him occupied until class started

* * *

He didn't get another text back until about ten minutes into first period.

_**I don't know. You're the one texting me.**_

This one made him smile more than psych him out. First of all, because the thought of Little Miss. Perfect Rachel Berry texting during class was hard to imagine, and secondly, because the tone of her text could either mean she was trying to be flirty or was just plain annoyed.

He wasn't sure which one was cuter.

**You're right. Well, I happen to think you're -**

Finn paused for a moment with this, still trying to hide the fact he was texting from his Chemistry teacher, and deciding what word would be perfect enough to describe Rachel.

Pretty? No, she was more than just that.

Smart? Well, of course she was, but that had nothing to do with their conversation.

How about...

… **I happen to think you're special.**

Finn tried not to hold his breath for the six minutes it took her to answer.

_**Special? Wow, do you say that to all the girls you try to swoon? I bet they all just fall to their knees in reverence.**_

Okay, she was messing with him now. He could tell. Rachel would never be someone that would make fun of a person just for the hell of it. He grinned as he typed out his reply.

**Oh yeah, you better believe I'm that smooth.**

His phone vibrates quickly after that.

_**I can't tell if you're being serious or sarcastic.**_

Well, shit. He didn't want her to think he was being cocky.

**No, I'm not being serious, and do you think it's any better from this side? I don't know if you're annoyed or amused.**

Again, either would be a pretty hot look on her.

_**A little bit of both.**_

He was about to reply to that with some witty comeback when his phone buzzed again.

_**Well... more amused actually. **_

He chuckled softly, beyond glad he was getting on her good side for now.

**Oh. Okay, good. I'm glad I can entertain you. **

Without thinking much about it, he added another part.

**Don't be afraid to say what you feel with me.**

He wondered if he could take that last part back because he was starting to sound creepy again.

She replied pretty fast though.

_**I don't know if I can do that.**_

Ugh. Him and his stupid mouth. Why can't he just ever be normal around this one girl? Still, he pressed on with his last text.

**Just know you can. That's all. I want you to be yourself when you're talking to me.**

He really was a moron for keeping this argument going.

_**I don't know anything about you. I think it's only fair that if you know who I am I should at least know a few things about you.**_

Okay... that seemed fair.

**That seems fair.**

He really needs to be more original.

_**Well, first and foremost, do you attend McKinley High School?**_

Okay, so far that's not so bad. That wouldn't give him away.

**Yeah. I do.**

_**What year are you? Please don't tell me you're a Freshman.**_

He chuckled deep in his throat again. He could actually imagine her saying those words to him. Her pleading eyes growing wide in her hopes, her pink lips pouting up at him in way that would make him want to dip down to her, run his fingers across the silky soft skin of her collarbone. His other hand rising up to cup her cheek as he brings her face closer to his. Breathing in the flowery perfume she always wears and letting his mouth seek hers until-

Okay. He needed to calm down before he pops a boner in the middle of class.

And he still hasn't texted her back.

**I can swear to you I'm not a Freshman or a Sophomore, but that's it.**

He still had to keep some things a mystery.

_**Alright, I can live with that. What is your gender?**_

Whoa, whoa, whoa. Hold the fucking phone... Did she think he was some chick coming onto her? Th-th-at didn't even once cross his mind; that there was some possibility that she might think he's a girl with... ah, an interest in her.

_Okay, Finn. Calm down. It's not so hard to believe some girl coming onto Rachel. She was hot! Anyone could see that, boy or girl._

And now Finn was imagining Rachel with some faceless chick. Okay, time to move on.

**Guy. All guy. I promise.**

_**Well, that makes me feel slightly better. Although I think girls are beautiful and strong individuals and I admire them for many different reasons, I am not attracted to them in that way.**_

Okay, he needs to keep this ball rolling as much as possible.

**Is that it? Did I pass your test?**

_**Not quite. I have one more thing to ask you.**_

Now, _she_ was the one being mysterious.

**Ask away :)**

He waits for nine and half heartbeats.

_**Should I be afraid of this?**_

It takes him two more class periods to answer.

**I don't know. I'm asking myself the same thing.**

* * *

She doesn't text him back for the rest of the day, and it kinda doesn't surprise him. There's obviously something she needs to decide and he doesn't regret being honest with her. And well the truth is, he is scared of this thing he's trying to do with Rachel. Scared that he's setting himself up for rejection. What if she paints this whole different picture in her head about him and when he actually reveals himself to her, (because he does mean to do that. Eventually.) he's gonna fall short to what she expected.

Well, at least not literally because he's a pretty tall dude.

He's lounging on the couch in the living room watching some older recording of a Browns game when his phone finally buzzes on the coffee table and he has to remove the half eaten bowl of cereal off his lap to get to it.

He should've known Puck wasn't done bugging him after this morning.

**dude were r u?!**

He was tempted to just tell him to go fuck himself.

**Uh. At home.**

**wtf r u doin ther?!**

He was kinda in the mood to piss him off.

**I dunno. It's kinda where I live.**

He smirks at his own response and tries to get into the game on the screen, even though he'd already seen it two weeks ago.

He tries to ignore the incoming texts, but after the third buzz he gets irritated enough to pick his phone up.

**srry to interup snugl time wit carol btt u need 2 gt ovr here rite nw**

**com on finn. put on ur big grl panties n gt in ur fuckin car**

**i prmise 2 by u a maxi pad**

Puck was one fucked up best friend, that was for sure.

**What would make you think that anything you just said would make me wanna go?**

Seriously, how did Finn become friends with this douche?

**i duno. revers sicolgy?**

Finn rolled his eyes and went back to the game. That was, until Kurt came in wearing one of those weird sweater things that also sorta look like he was wearing a scarf when he's really not and some _really_ tight pants. He was brushing his arm with something cylinder shaped. What was it called again? A lint roller, that's it! Kurt lectured him for hours about it last Sunday when Finn wore some dark shirt full of lint to Grandma Hummel's house that was, apparently, a crime against a good Calvin Clo-Klid- something shirt... or was it- Whatever, some expensive ass shirt that didn't look any different than any other black button-down shirt that he could find at Sears. Kurt had gasped loudly when he told him that. It was as if he'd just told Kurt to jump off a cliff. He guesses to Kurt there's no difference.

"Where are you going? Hot date tonight?" Finn chuckled, half joking around and half ready to get all in protective brother mode and give Blaine another good talking to about treating his brother right.

Kurt spared him a sideways glance before finishing up his left sleeve and continuing to the right one. "No." Kurt paused for a second and examined his right sleeve critically. "If you must know, Rachel and I are going out tonight."

Finn tried not to act too eager for more information about Kurt's evening with his new BFF. He cleared his throat and tried to keep his voice casual as spoke.

"Oh, really?" Finn sniffled and watched the Browns score another touchdown before glancing back at his step-brother. "What are guys going to do?" He really hoped he wasn't being too obvious. His mom always told he was really easy to read.

But Kurt didn't seem to pick up on anything, finally finishing up with the lint roller and tossing it on the side stand before checking his outfit in the floor length mirror next to the T.V. Finn always wondered why he didn't just use his own mirror when looking at his outfit until Kurt had told him one day. Something about the lighting being better in the living room that was a lot more beneficial for his complexion.

Whatever that meant.

"Uh... well, Tina invited us to her boyfriend's house tonight. Apparently, Mike's having some big party and I wanted to check out the scene."

Finn nearly choked on that answer. That was really the last thing he expected Kurt to say and the irony of Rachel going to the party Finn's been trying to avoid all night was not lost on him.

Kurt's phone vibrated and he saw him smile into the screen. "Okay, I'm heading out now. Tell dad and Carol I'll be home by one." Kurt practically skipped out the door. Seemingly ready to have a great night with his new best friend.

It took all of five seconds for Finn to decide.

**Okay, dude. I'm on my way.**

He ran upstairs and put on the lightly worn Calvin _Klein_ shirt.

**bout time finnessa. ill gt da tampons.**

Even that couldn't mess with his mood.

* * *

**Okay, guys. I know it's been forever and I'm sorry. Not to mention the length of this chapter could be longer. It was actually meant to continue all the way to the party when I started this, but it felt too long... to me anyway. This chapter, especially, was a lot of trial and error. I felt like this was an important milestone to finchel's relationship so it needed to be perfect. I took my time to say the least.**

**Not to mention school is hectic and we just started reading The Great Gatsby in AP English and my friends have been bugging me to read Divergent, so I've started that adventure as well.**

**Ooooh, have you guys read any mida212? Her writing is to die for and she recently updated one of her newer fanfics Canine Cupids! So cute!**

***SIGH* Okay, until the next time my beautiful readers. Pwease review :D **


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